Nearly half of us don’t understand how to vote

The Australian Electoral Commission has revealed that the best electoral roll in history has been achieved. Record numbers of Australians are now enrolled to vote with the rate hitting almost 97 percent.

Worryingly, a poll by the Australian Institute shows that almost 50 percent of voters don’t understand how the Senate voting system works. People may not realise that “voting above the line” could cause their vote to go a party they would not have wanted to vote for. This is because of preference deals that may have been done.

Election and polling analyst from The Poll Bludger William Bowe spoke to Oliver Peterson to explain the importance of understanding how your vote counts.